This invention relates to a process for the spinning of yarn from fiber material which, in the case of an arrangement for spinning, is transported from a supply of fiber material to the working elements of said arrangement for spinning, with at least some of said working elements being arranged within a climate-controlled zone which contains a fluid whose climate can be adjusted. The invention also relates to an arrangement for the spinning of yarn from fiber material, comprising a device for making a supply of fiber material available, and comprising working elements for the processing of the fiber material which is removed from the device for making the fiber material available. While travelling along a transport path, the fiber material is supplied to the working elements, at least some of which are arranged within a climate-controlled zone which contains a fluid whose climate is adjustable.
Conventionally, in practice, the climate of the working elements of spinning arrangements which process the supplied fiber material is controlled in that the whole spinning machine containing the spinning arrangements, including the fiber supply, are subjected to a uniform climate existing in the spinning room. This type of climate control is known from German Patent Document DE 41 00 618A1. For generating uniform climatic conditions, it is suggested there to construct the platform which is arranged above the machine frame and the working elements of the spinning arrangements and on which the cans with the sliver are deposited, in a permeable manner in order to permit a free circulation of the conditioned air. As a result, a uniform climate is obtained for the sliver and the working elements carrying out the spiraling. In this case, the fed sliver supplies no humidity to the ambient air during the processing. The uniform climate permits an essentially perfect functioning of the working elements and an essentially proper capacity to be processed of the fiber material.
In the published German patent application with the reference number DE 41 09 110 A1, a spinning machine is described in which cans containing sliver are deposited on a platform arranged vertically above the machine frame and the working elements of the spinning arrangements. For the purpose of climate control, air inlet and air outlet ducts are provided which are arranged such that conditioned fluid flows penetrate the drafting units in the vertical direction and form climate-controlled zones in this manner which fill only a portion of the spinning room. As a result, a low energy consumption is achieved because the whole spinning room does not have to be climate-controlled.
From published German patent application DE 39 19 284 A1, it is known to control the climate of only the spinning material which is deposited in a container, in which case the working elements of the spinning machine are at any room climate. As a result, the spinning material is to be put into an optimal climatic condition in order to improve the quality of the product to be produced.
From British Patent Document GB-PS 11 83 208, it is known to supply the fiber material from cans, which are arranged on platforms above the spinning machine, to the spinning arrangements through tubes. In this case, the fed slivers are subjected to an air flow with a certain humidity content on the transport path in the tubes in order to control the humidity content of the slivers.
It is an object of the invention to produce optimal climatic conditions for the operation of the working elements of spinning arrangements as well as for the processing capacity of the supplied fiber material.
This and other objects are achieved by the present invention which provides a process for the spinning of yarn from fiber material in an arrangement for spinning, the method comprising transporting the fiber material from a supply of fiber material to working elements of the arrangement for spinning, with at least some of the working elements being arranged within a climate-controlled zone which contains a fluid whose climate is adjustable, and adjusting the climate such that at least one of the fiber material and yarn spun from the fiber material have a tendency to supply humidity to the fluid of the climate-controlled zone.
The objects are also achieved by an embodiment of the present invention which provides an arrangement for spinning yarn from fiber material, comprising a device for making available a supply of fiber material, a climate-controlled zone containing a fluid with an adjustable climate, and working elements for processing of the fiber material, with at least some of the working elements being within the climate-controlled zone. A transport path is provided between the device for making available and the working elements, the fiber material being removed from the device for making available and supplied to the working elements while travelling through the transport path. A climate is produceable in the climate-controlled zone which differs from a climate of the fluid which surrounds the fiber material in at least one of the device for making the fiber material available and on the transport path to the working elements.
In certain embodiments of the invention, the fluid is air or another suitable gas.
The present invention provides the advantage of optimizing the processing capacity of the fiber material and therefore the quality of the end product as well as optimizing the functioning of the working elements used for spinning.
The invention is based on the recognition that the working elements operate optimally, that is largely faultlessly, under certain climatic conditions and that the fiber material to be processed under certain climatic conditions can be processed to an optimal degree. In this case, the optimal climatic conditions differ with respect to the operation of the working elements and with respect to the processing capacity of the fiber material.
If optimal climatic conditions were to be provided for the fiber material to be processed and the working elements were to be subjected to the same climatic conditions, so that no humidity is supplied by the fiber material to the fluid surrounding the working elements, disturbances may occur in the operation of the working elements. For example, when the humidity of the fluid surrounding the working element is too high, individual fibers may wind around the drafting unit top rollers.
If optimal climatic conditions were provided for the working elements and the fiber material to be processed were to be subjected to the mentioned climatic conditions as the working elements, the humidity content of the fiber material may be too low for a good processing. When the humidity content is too low, the processing capacity of the fiber material and the quality of the end product will deteriorate.
With the known uniform climate control for the supplied fiber material and the working elements, non-optimal but acceptable climatic conditions are achieved with respect to the processing capacity of the fiber material as well as the running characteristics of the working elements. With the known climate control of only the fiber material, optimal conditions are endeavored with respect to the processing capacity but not with respect to the operation of the working elements. In contrast, with the climate control of the present invention, optimal climatic conditions are created with respect to the operation of the working elements as well as with respect to the processing capacity of the fiber material.
For optimum functioning of the working elements, particularly of the drafting unit rollers of a drafting unit, it is required that the fluid surrounding the working elements does not have an excessive relative humidity. In contrast, the humidity content of the fiber material must be relatively high for an optimal processing capacity. The humidity content should be at least so high that the fed fiber material, when it enters the climate-controlled zone that includes the working elements, will have the tendency to supply the humidity to the fluid of the climate-controlled zone. It is important in this case that at least the climate-controlled zone surrounding the working elements can be adjusted relatively precisely with respect to its climate, whereas the humidity content of the fed fiber material does not necessarily have to be adjusted precisely.
The climate-controlled zone surrounding the working elements is expediently produced by the present invention in that a fluid is supplied whose temperature and/or relative humidity can be adjusted. In this manner, a precise adjustability of the climate within the climate-controlled zone can be achieved.
In certain embodiments of the invention, it is provided that a fluid is supplied to the fiber material at the supply of fiber material and/or during the transport to the working elements, the temperature and/or relative humidity of the fluid being adjustable. In this case, it is not absolutely necessary that the fluid is supplied during the whole transport; on the contrary, the supplying of the conditioned fluid in a partial area of the transport path may also be sufficient so that a satisfactory effect is achieved. Naturally, it is also possible to supply the conditioned fluid only to the supply of fiber material or only to the transport path or to a part of it. As a result of this measure, it is possible to influence the humidity content of the fed fiber material.
In these embodiments, the adjustment advantageously takes place in that the temperature and/or the relative humidity of the fluid surrounding the fiber material differs from the temperature and/or the relative humidity of the fluid in the climate-controlled zone. In this case, it may be advantageous to select for the fluid surrounding the fiber material a high relative humidity and to select for the fluid surrounding the working elements a low relative humidity. The fiber material may then absorb humidity at the deposited supply or during the transport to the working elements so that it has the tendency to supply humidity at the working elements.
In an advantageous embodiment of file present invention, it is provided that only fluid is supplied to the climate-controlled zone which had previously been fed to the fiber material at the supply of fiber material and/or during the transport to the working elements, in which case the supplied fluid is heated at the climate-controlled zone of the working elements. Because of the heating, the relative humidity of the fluid will fall in the climate-controlled zone so that the fiber material which previously has absorbed humidity from the fed fluid, has the tendency to supply humidity in the climate-controlled zone.
In this embodiment, it is advantageous for the climate of the fed fluid to be adjusted as a function of the heating occurring in the climate-controlled zone. While the occurring heating is taken into account, the fluid will then have the desired relative humidity in the climate-controlled zone. As a result, it is possible to adjust the climate in the climate-controlled zone very precisely so that optimal conditions are obtained with respect to the operability of the working elements. In the case of the climatic conditions of the fluid surrounding the supply of the fiber material and/or the transport path of the fiber material, a certain bandwidth could definitely be accepted without leaving the range of the optimal climatic condition for the capacity to be processed of the fiber material. In addition, it should be possible in this embodiment, also for a precisely determined and constant temperature and/or relative humidity in the area of the climate-controlled zone of the working elements, to obtain by means of the corresponding adjustment of the climate of the supplied fluid a precisely predeterminable value in the case of the climate of the fluid surrounding the fiber material at the supply and/or during the transport.
In this embodiment, it is advantageous to measure the temperature and/or the relative humidity in the climate-controlled zone and adjust, according to the measured value, the temperature and/or the humidity of the supplied fluid.
It is also advantageous for the fluid supplied to the climate-controlled zone to be heated only by the waste heat produced by the working elements during the spinning operation. The supplied fluid will then be adjusted corresponding to the produced waste heat and to the resulting heating of the climate-controlled zone with respect to its temperature and/or its humidity. The temperature and/or relative humidity which exists in the working elements during the operation of the spinning machine may be measured. Also, the heating occurring at the working elements as a result of the operation can be calculated at least approximately. It can therefore be determined for the adjusting of the climate-controlled zone to what extent, in the case of a measured or calculated temperature difference, the relative humidity of the fluid in the climate-controlled zone will change with respect to the relative humidity of the fluid in the area of the supply of the fiber material and/or the transport of the fiber material.
For achieving the desired climatic conditions, in the case of an arrangement for the spinning of yam, a climate-controlled zone is provided in the case of the working elements which is adjustable with respect to its climate and in which a climate can be produced which differs from the climate of the fluid which surrounds the fiber material at the device for making the supply of the fiber material available and/or on the transport path of the fiber material to the working elements. As mentioned above, it is not absolutely necessary in this case that the whole transport path is surrounded by a fluid whose climate differs from the climate of the climate-controlled zone surrounding the working elements.
It is advantageous in this case for the climate to be adjustable in such a manner that the fluid in the climate-controlled zone has a lower relative humidity than the fluid which surrounds the fiber material at the device for making it available and/or on the transport path to the working elements.
It is also advantageous to arrange the climate-controlled zone in such a manner that, of the working elements of a spinning arrangement, at least the drafting unit and/or the ring spindle are situated within the climate-controlled zone, in which case the fiber material deposited as sliver in a can is situated outside the climate-controlled zone. Particularly in the case of drafting devices, considerable running disturbances may occur when the air-conditioning is not appropriate. Also, in the case of the above-mentioned arrangements, an air-conditioning of the drafting unit and/or of the ring spindle is particularly advantageous because a clear separation can be achieved between the area of the/bed of the sliver and the processing of the sliver.
In certain embodiments of the invention, the mentioned deviation of the climate in the climate-controlled zone can be achieved in that a partition is provided which separates the area of the working elements from the area of the fiber material feed and the transport path, in the case of which the two areas are connected with one another by a passage opening for the fiber material.
In certain embodiments of the invention, the machine frame which carries the working elements is arranged on the same side of the partition as the climate-controlled zone.
Expediently, a common climate-controlled zone is arranged in the spinning machine for the working elements of all arrangements for the spinning.
In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided to arrange, in a spinning machine, the devices for making the fiber material available on a platform which is arranged vertically above the machine frame of the spinning machine. In this case, it is advantageous to provide the partition at the platform. As a result of this measure, an effective separation can be achieved of the areas with the different climates.
In another embodiment of the present invention, in the case of a spinning machine, the devices for making a supply of fiber material available are arranged on surfaces which are situated opposite one or both longitudinal sides of the spinning machine. In the case of a one-sided spinning machine, the surfaces are arranged on the rear side of the spinning machine. In the case of a two-sided spinning machine, the surfaces are arranged in parallel to both operating sides of the spinning machine, and an operating aisle is provided between the surfaces and the spinning machine.
In certain embodiments, the relative humidity and/or the temperature of the fluid of the climate-controlled zone are adjustable. In certain embodiments, the climate in the climate-controlled zone is produced by a fluid flow which is supplied by a feeding duct and is discharged by a discharge duct.
In an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the feeding duct is arranged on the side of the partition which has the device for making the supply of fiber material available and/or the transport path, and the discharge duct is arranged on the side of the partition which has the working elements, in which case the partition has a passage opening for the fluid flow which extends to the working elements. In this embodiment, a separate adjustment is not possible of the fluid contained in the climate-controlled zone on the side of the working elements, on the one hand, and of the fluid surrounding the fiber material on the side of the device for making the fiber material available and/or of the transport path, on the other hand. On the contrary, only the climate in the climate-controlled zone on the side of the working element is adjusted. The adjustment of the climate on the side of the feed of the fiber material and/or of the transport path therefore depends only on the temperature and/or the relative humidity which is desired in the climate-controlled zone. For this embodiment, it is taken into account that the fluid supplied through the feeding duct supplies humidity to the fiber material, if this fiber material can still absorb humidity, and that the supplied fluid is heated at the climate-controlled zone by the working elements of the spinning arrangements and possibly, by additional rotating machine elements.
It is advantageous in this embodiment to arrange a sensor at the climate-controlled zone of the working elements which can measure the climate of the fluid with respect to its temperature and/or its relative humidity. The sensor is connected with a device by means of which the climate of the fluid can be adjusted, which fluid is supplied through the feeding duct onto the side of the partition which has the device for making the fiber material available, and/or the transport path. With respect to its climate, the fed fluid is adjusted corresponding to the temperature measured in the climate-controlled zone and/or the relative humidity. In the case of the adjustment of the climate of the supplied fluid, the heating occurring in the climate-controlled zone is taken into account.
The device for making the supply of the fiber material available and/or the transport path are therefore situated within a second climate-controlled zone which is formed by the fluid supplied through the feeding duct. This second climate-controlled zone cannot be adjusted separately: however, the climate in this second climate-controlled zone is a function of the adjustment of the climate in the first climate-controlled zone which contains the working elements. A precise adjustment of the climate in the second climate-controlled zone is also not absolutely necessary, for achieving good spinning results. The relative humidity in the second climate-controlled zone is higher than in the first climate-controlled zone because the relative humidity of the fluid falls because of the heating.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.